Grown in the warm, humid tropics, bananas are picked and shipped green. They are one fruit that develops better flavor when ripened off the bush. Each bunch includes several "hands" of a dozen or so bananas (fingers).

Selection, Storage & Handling

Choose plump, evenly colored yellow bananas flecked with tiny brown specks (a sign of ripeness). Avoid those with blemishes, which usually indicate bruising.

Nutritional Value

Bananas are a good source of vitamins C and B6. A good source of cholesterol-lowering dietary fibre and a useful source of potassium. Bananas also provide complex carbohydrates and energy, with a medium banana (1509) providing 370kJ.